“It’s such a special way of showing you care”

Read about our Memory Tree birthday on page 4

Newsfrom your local Hospice charity

Inspiring memories

Spring 2015Today. Tomorrow. Together

Welcome to the Spring edition of Hospice News. 2014 was a time of great change and growth for the Hospice, as we launched our new Hospice at Home service, expanded our Bereavement and Family Support team, unveiled the results of a major refurbishment project, and welcomed a new director to our leadership team.

If all that wasn’t enough, it was wonderful to be able to end the year on a high with the completion of our beautiful ‘Space to Breathe’ family garden, and the opening of our new Loughton shop, which is not only raising awareness of our charity in the Epping Forest part of our patch, but also vital funds to help us continue our caring work.

We were also delighted to be offered the opportunity to extend our Hospice at Home service for a trial period over the winter to provide a night care service. The majority of our patients tell us they would prefer to remain at home in their fi nal days, and we have been pleased to be able to extend the support available to them to make this possible.

Here at St Clare, the coming 12 months look set to be as busy as ever as we prepare to celebrate 25 years of incredible care in 2015. Our Silver Anniversary will be a time to commemorate all that our charity has achieved and to look ahead at how we can continue growing our services to help even more families into the future.

Plans are well underway to mark our milestone year, which include a Silver Masquerade Ball, details of which are on page 5. Much of what we do would not be possible without the help of people like you, and we will forever be grateful to our community for all the ways you support us. We look forward to celebrating with you in 2015!

Tanya Curry Chief Executive

Supporting our staff and volunteers so they can continue providing the incredible care that St Clare is renowned for is the focus of our newest director, Tracey Hammond.

Tracey has joined St Clare as our Director of Organisational Development, heading our HR and voluntary services departments, as well as establishing our new education and quality leads.

The new director role was created in response to our continued growth over the past fi ve years and will enable us to better support our people in their development as we look to further expand our services supporting even more families from across West Essex and the East Herts border.

The HR specialist said: “I am thrilled to have joined St Clare in this exciting new role, allowing me to use all the skills and experience I have gained throughout my career to make a difference to such a highly thought of organisation at the heart of its community.”

stclarehospice.org.uk

continue providing the incredible care that St Clare

continued growth over the past fi ve years and will enable us to better support our

New Director welcomed

Satellite clinicsGiving people more choice over where they can access our skilled, compassionate care is the aim of a new satellite clinic being led by our Specialist Palliative Care Nurses in Loughton. The four-month pilot is part of the continued expansion of our Community Service as we strive to provide the best possible care to people in the right place, at the right time. The clinic is open by appointment only at Loughton’s Traps Hill Surgery every Friday from 9.30am to 4pm and is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness in the Epping Forest District – not just those registered at the surgery.

Our director of patient care Beth Burton said: “Satellite clinics have proved successful in other areas of the country and are a great way for us to see more patients in a place of their choice and to work more closely with our local GPs and other healthcare professionals.”

Our clinical team has welcomed three new managers to oversee our Inpatient, Community and Bereavement and Family Support services.

Former District Nursing team leader Vanna Poulter is our new Inpatient Unit manager, having previously worked alongside our team in her last role as an End of Life Discharge Facilitator at Princess Alexandra Hospital, helping move people from hospital to their preferred place of care.

“I feel very proud to be part of St Clare and am looking forward to taking the Hospice forward.” she said.

Community team manager Sarah Godfrey, who heads up our expanded Community Team, which includes Hospice at Home, joined us from Broomfi eld Hospital where she worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in palliative care.

Prior to that, Sarah worked as a Community Clinical Nurse Specialist for 14 years at St Francis Hospice.

Overseeing St Clare’s social work, bereavement services and chaplaincy is Joanna Petts, our new Patient and Family Support manager. Joanna, who has more than 20 years’ experience of social work, previously worked for West Essex Social Service’s hospital discharge team.

She said: “I love working at the Hospice as it involves total holistic care as well as management responsibilities.”

Three new Managers join the team

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Families at home are being supported through the small hours after St Clare was asked to help oversee a night care service in partnership with Marie Curie.

Our Hospice at Home team has been commissioned by the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group to manage and co-ordinate the overnight service to support the current Marie Curie provision and help over the winter period until the end of March.

In the fi rst three weeks, the new service received 25 requests for help, with the team caring for 15 patients and their families.

St Clare chief executive Tanya Curry said: “It is a natural extension to our Hospice at Home service, and will allow even more people facing an incredibly diffi cult time in their lives to be cared for in their own home, if this is where they would like to be.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the commissioners and Marie Curie to lead and deliver this vital extended service during the winter months. It is about making best possible use of all the resources we have to support patients as effectively as we can.”

New Night Service

Hospice at Home successSince launching a year ago, our Hospice at Home service has made a positive impact on reducing the number of people who would otherwise have been admitted to hospital.

One of the aims of our service is to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, with our team supporting people to stay in their own homes, if this is their choice.

Our Hospice at Home co-ordinator Sonia Haigh said: “Our statistics are showing that we have potentially reduced acute admissions by more than 70%, preventing people from having to attend A&E in their last days of life. We know that being in hospital is usually

the least preferred choice for people in their fi nal days, so this is an incredibly positive outcome for our Hospice at Home patients, with our team providing them with expert hands-on care to support them to remain at home if this is their wish.”

In October, the Hospice welcomed the community managers from St Francis, St Luke’s, Arthur Rank and Farleigh hospices for the regional meeting of the National Association for Hospice at Home, the fi rst we have hosted since launching our Hospice at Home service in January last year. Discussions focused on future service developments and were a chance to share best practice.

Our community manager Sarah Godfrey said: “As the newest Hospice at Home service, the others were very keen to hear about our successes in our fi rst year. It was a great opportunity especially as we look ahead to how we can potentially expand our service in the future.”

St Clare on the air!St Clare staff and supporters hit the airwaves and the small screen to raise awareness of our caring work as we marked Hospice Care Week.

Our chief executive Tanya Curry gave an on-air interview during Dave Monk’s morning show on BBC Radio Essex and also spoke to ITV Anglia reporter Serena Sandhu for a feature highlighting the services provided by all of Essex’s hospices which was aired during the evening bulletin.

Hospice supporter Claire Matthews, whose husband Rodney was one of the fi rst patients to be cared for by our Hospice at Home team after it launched last January, also shared her family’s experience with BBC Radio Essex.

Our Hospice Care Week celebrations culminated with the fi rst Open Day we have held here at the Hospice in several years, which was attended by more than 80 people.

Home patients, with our team providing

Our community manager Sarah Godfrey

What families say about Hospice at Home: What our Hospice at Home nursing assistants say:“You have been kind and thoughtful throughout. It was a great comfort to us every time you came to our home.”

“It made such a difference to Mum and her family to have such caring and compassionate people looking after her and treating her with dignity and respect.”

“Thank you very much for all the help you gave at home for which we are all very grateful. Your carers were all very friendly and lived up to their title.”

“The kindness and professionalism shown during every single visit and telephone call helped to make a very diffi cult and emotional time just that little bit easier.”

“The girls were lovely, kind and caring. We missed them when the service ended. Everyone does a wonderful job.”

“I cannot express how you helped to make this dreadful experience bearable. I shall never forget your kindness.”

Sandra – “We get to care for people as individuals, not just patients, and help them to regain their independence. Providing them with some simple equipment, can make such a huge difference.”

Mary – “To me, Hospice at Home is about caring for the whole family. We get treated like long lost relatives and are smothered in hugs.”

Denise – “It’s such a rewarding job and it’s very humbling to be able to come into a person’s life at such a diffi cult time. They are so grateful for the support and reassurance that they are not alone.”

Lorraine – “Hospice at Home allows us to care for people with that extra tenderness and comfort. I think the most valuable thing we give people is precious time.”

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New ‘Space to Breathe’ garden ready for springTV horticulturalist and St Clare patron Christine Walkden will be offi cially unveiling our new ‘Space to Breathe’ family garden in April.

There is a real sense of calm and tranquillity now that this previously forlorn looking part of the Hospice grounds has been transformed into a secluded tiered garden thanks to winning £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund as part of the People’s Millions competition.

As you can see from these pictures, the area has been completely revitalised and we cannot wait for our patients and their loved ones to start enjoying this very special outdoor haven as we head into spring.

New ‘Space to Breathe’ Above: Revitalised garden area Right: Work in progress

Glittering in pride of place at the heart of the Hospice, our beautiful Memory Tree is one of the fi rst things visitors see when they arrive at St Clare.

Since being unveiled almost 120 leaves bearing the names of people we have cared for feature on its branches, each one honouring the memory of someone special, and helping us grow our services supporting local families.

Among them is Michael Smethers, who was a Day Therapy patient here at the Hospice and was also cared for by our Hospice at Home team before passing away in our Inpatient Unit in March last year.

His wife Mary said: “Aside from all the wonderful care and support the Hospice gave to our family, when Michael passed away his name disappeared from everywhere and I wanted a permanent reminder that he was here. Having him on the Memory Tree is a way to keep his name alive.” The couple’s son Sean added: “Dad’s cousin travelled all the way from Devon just to see his leaf and said how awe inspiring it was.”

To pay tribute to your loved one by buying a leaf on our Memory Tree, or to renew your leaf for another year, call the fundraising team on 01279 773750.

Memory Tree birthday

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Lorraine lends a hand...“Tell me how I can help?”

We hear these words so often repeated at the Hospice from people who have experienced our care and want to do something to help us so other families can benefi t from the same compassionate support their own received.

The Smiths are just one family who have supported St Clare in lots of different ways since we looked after adored husband and dad-of-three Gregory, who spent his fi nal days at the Hospice.

His wife Lorraine said: “You can’t ever repay what the Hospice has done for you as a family, but you can give back by supporting them to help others in a similar situation. St Clare was there for us all during a really diffi cult time and we will always be grateful to them.”

Gregory attended Day Therapy and was supported at home by our Community Team before coming into our Inpatient Unit when his health started to deteriorate. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma – a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos – shortly after returning from a family trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his 60th birthday.

“Gregory was in such a lot of pain before coming into St Clare, but within just a day of being at the Hospice he had really brightened up,” Lorraine said.

Since losing him, Gregory’s family have sponsored a silver leaf on our Memory Tree, taken part in our Midnight Walk and helped Pay for a Day, covering the cost of providing our clinical services for 24-hours. Lorraine said: “Losing someone you love is the most painful thing anyone will ever experience, but Gregory’s death was the best it could be because of the care and support we received from the Hospice. Everybody should be entitled to that, which is why we feel it’s so important to help so that other people can receive that same excellent level of care that made Gregory feel safe right to the very end.”

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St Clare receives Community AwardHere are our trusts and legacies fundraiser Karen Keys and director of patient care Beth Burton being presented with our runners-up trophy after the Hospice was shortlisted in the Proctor and Gamble Community Matters Awards 2014.

The pair were invited to represent St Clare at a gala evening at Thurrock Civic Hall during which £40,000 was given out to deserving causes from across Essex in recognition of their outstanding charitable work. St Clare was one of seven hospices to be nominated and although we lost out on the top prize, Karen and Beth were presented with a £1,000 donation as runners-up.

25 prizes up for grabs!

2015 is set to be a momentous year for St Clare Hospice as we celebrate 25 years of incredible care.

Over the coming months, we will be marking our Silver Anniversary with a host of special events, including a glamorous masquerade ball to be held later this year on November 21.

The silver-themed spectacular is set to bring some sparkle to the Hospice’s fundraising calendar, and we are inviting

all St Clare supporters to join us for a glittering evening of fi ne dining and entertainment, whether you have been with us since the beginning or are at the start of your partnership with our charity.

Beautiful 17th century mansion Parklands, at Quendon Hall, will be providing the stunning backdrop to our Silver Ball, which promises table magic, a casino, an auction and grand raffl e. Guests, who are invited to come dressed in all their fi nery, will be welcomed with a glass of fi zz on arrival, followed by a sumptuous three-course meal.

If you would like to attend our Silver Ball, call our fundraising manager Dominique Brunning on 01279 773750 or email dominique.brunning@stclarehospice.org.uk Tickets are £65 per head.

For details of some of the other events taking place during our 25th Anniversary year, see the back page.

YEARSYEARSYEARSYEARSYEARS

OF INCREDIBLE CARE

Silver Masquerade Ball spectacular...

Help us drive St Clare Hospice care forward by buying a ticket for our Spring Raffl e and you could be driving away with a new car!

To celebrate our Silver Anniversary, we have pulled out all the stops to make 2015 our best-ever draw, teaming up with Harlow-based Insight Private Finance to give away the keys to a silver Suzuki Alto to our fi rst prize winner plus 24 other fabulous prizes.

Second prize is £1,000 cash, third prize is a 40in TV, fourth is a £250 shopping voucher, fi fth prize is a 10in tablet and there are 20 £25 gift vouchers up for grabs too.

The 25 lucky winners will be picked by a special guest during our grand draw at the Harvey Centre in Harlow on March 31 at 2pm, so please come and join us as it could be you!

This year, we are hoping to raise £40,000 from our Spring Raffl e, meaning every ticket you buy helps us to continue providing our expert care and support to local people and their loved ones.

St Clare lottery manager Caron Lakey said: “St Clare’s passion and purpose is to be there for those facing the diffi cult journey of living with a

life-limiting illness and your support enables us to provide our specialist, compassionate care here at the Hospice and in people’s homes. This time is precious and your help means so much to those families.”

Spring Raffl e tickets cost £2 each and are available until March 23 from all eight of the Hospice shops, as well as the St Clare reception and other outlets.

You will also be able to purchase your tickets when the St Clare team hits the road in the coming weeks on their Spring Raffl e tour so look out for our ticket booths at venues and events across the Hospice patch, including Sawbridgeworth farmers market on March 7.

Comedian Ed Byrne drawing last year’s winning ticket from

a giant Zorb

buy helps us to continue providing our expert buy helps us to continue providing our expert

Eleanor’s second hand style challenge

Ever opened your wardrobe and wailed in despair ‘I’ve got nothing to wear’? That was the predicament I found myself in recently after I lost a considerable amount of weight and suddenly found myself faced with a closet stuffed full of clothes that all no longer fi t.

And while I love to shop, and could happily spend my Saturdays weaving in and out of the stores at Lakeside or Westfi eld, what do you do when your expected to be smart and presentable at work but your budget won’t stretch to replacing your entire wardrobe in one go?

In the past, the idea of wearing anything second-hand had never crossed my mind, and before working at the Hospice I had never stepped foot inside a charity shop. I suppose I never believed there would be anything in there to interest me. After all, charity shops are just full of Aunty Mildred’s musty cast-offs, right?

But had I been too quick to dismiss charity shopping as a potential source of wonderful and affordable fashion? A place where I could fi nd good quality clothing at a more purse-friendly price? Because to be honest, once it’s been through the wash, who can really tell where you’ve bought it from?

An important part of my job at the Hospice is to raise awareness of the services St Clare provides to people with

a life-limiting illness and their families, and our eight Hospice shops play a vital part in generating the income we need each and every year to continue being there for local people. So, could I come up with an idea that would not only raise the profi le of our shops (and hopefully encourage people to take a look themselves) but also solve my own sartorial slump? Could I fi nd something to wear every day for a month that had been donated to the Hospice?

In no way do I consider myself to be a trendsetter, but I do know what suits me, and I wanted the challenge to be as authentic as possible, which meant fi nding items I would buy from any other high street shop. But would I be able to fi nd 31 days’ worth of things? If I had been doubtful at fi rst, my fi rst foray to our Dunmow shop proved unexpectedly fruitful, while subsequent trips to our Saffron Walden, Epping, Debden and Buckhurst Hill shops were similarly successful and in the end I found more items than days in the month to wear them. Some of my favourite things included a pair of Kurt Geiger sandals for £15, a Levi denim jacket, also £15, a River Island dress for £7 and a vintage Longchamp bag.

As the month unfolded, I was surprised and delighted by the response to my #secondhandstyle challenge and it was

wonderful to watch attitudes changing towards charity shopping, much like my own. From Hospice supporters on our Facebook page, to girls in my boot camp class, people couldn’t believe what I had managed to fi nd, and I even had to convince some people it really was all second-hand. In addition to all the lovely comments, it was fantastic to hear people say they had been inspired to visit our shops to see what they could fi nd.

The beauty of charity shopping is you never know what brilliant things you might discover, and unlike other shops, the stock will never be the same twice, meaning you are very likely to pick up a one-off item no-one else will have. You can also potentially save a small fortune, with my entire 36-piece wardrobe haul costing just over £200.

My challenge was a truly eye-opening experience and has shown me how much fun you can have with pre-loved fashion – with a bit of imagination, you can give something once consigned to the bottom of a drawer a new lease of life. The fact you’re supporting a local charity providing such incredible care to people in your community is even more satisfying. I’ll see you in the queue at the till!

services St Clare provides to people with services St Clare provides to people with #secondhandstyle challenge and it was you in the queue at the till!services St Clare provides to people with

When our communications and marketing offi cer Eleanor found herself in need of a new wardrobe, she set out to wear one item of clothing that had been donated to one of our St Clare shops every day for a month. The results surprised her... and they might surprise you too.

6 stclarehospice.org.uk

7

There was a queue for the till when shoppers, including Allo Allo actress Vicki Michelle, right, came along to the offi cial opening of our new shop in Loughton.

The store, in the High Road, is our eighth shop helping generate vital income to fund our work providing comfort and support to local people and their families, and the fi rst new shop we have opened for six years. Offering a mix of pre-loved fashion, accessories, books and homewares, it is the only charity shop in Loughton to support a cause that has been caring for local families in the community that it serves for 25 years.

Loughton’s mayor, Cllr Sharon Weston, bottom right, was among the special guests invited to take a sneak peak at the shop during a VIP preview evening held before the doors were offi cially opened to the general public.

During the fi rst morning trading, a steady stream of shoppers browsed the shelves, eager to bag a bargain, helping raise £600 in just a few hours.

Shop manager Jo Leal, pictured top right, with assistant manager Lindsey Hildreth, said: “We’ve had an amazing response to the new shop. The feedback has been really positive and it’s been great to see people coming in who have

With a little help from our friendsWhere would we be without our Friends? We are very lucky to have seven Friends and supporter groups representing every corner of the St Clare patch, not only raising £14,000 for the Hospice last year, but acting as important ambassadors helping to spread the word about the work we do supporting patients and their families.

Laura Clarke, pictured, is one of our newest Friends, having joined our Harlow group after losing her mum Jennifer, who passed away at the Hospice in September 2013.

The 33-year-old said: “You don’t really appreciate how much care and support is available until it is someone you love who needs it. Mum spent her fi nal 10 days at St Clare and she received the very best care, but that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the people who help the Hospice by fundraising.

“We didn’t realise how little money St Clare receives from the NHS, and how heavily the Hospice relies on donations, so after Mum died I knew I wanted to do something to help.”

Since joining our Harlow Friends, Laura has helped run the collection at the Harlow College charity car park, supported our Light Up a Life services and been involved in the group’s annual Posh Afternoon Tea at Hastingwood village hall, which last year was attended by 80 people and raised £1,091.

“I really enjoy being part of the Friends,” she added. “You can give as much or as little of your time as you like, so I would encourage anyone thinking about volunteering or fundraising for the Hospice to give it a go. I really like the fact that I’m doing something valuable with my spare time to help other people benefi t from the same care that Mum received.”

St Clare community fundraiser James Barber said: “Our Friends and supporter groups are an amazing bunch of people who really care about the Hospice. They raise huge sums of money each year and are also our representatives in the community, helping to raise awareness of our charity too. It’s a great way for people to support St Clare.”

For more information about becoming a Friend of St Clare, call the fundraising team on 01279 773750 or email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk

The store, in the High Road, is our eighth

support to local people and their families, and the fi rst new shop we have opened

Loughton’s mayor, Cllr Sharon Weston,

steady stream of shoppers browsed the shelves, eager to bag a bargain, helping

Loughton Shop opens its doors

St Clare community fundraiser James

never visited a charity shop before but wanted to see what we’ve got to offer and then have left having purchased something.

“It’s also lovely to hear people’s stories about the Hospice and the care a friend

or relative has received. It really reinforces what we are trying to achieve here in raising money to make sure we can continue supporting local families.”

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TTTTTTHHHHHHAAAAAANNNNNNKKKKKK YYYYYYYYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTTTTHHHHHHAAAAAANNNNNNKKKKKK YYYYYYOOOOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOYYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUUUUU TTTTTTHHHHHHAAAAAANNNNNNKKKKKK YYYYYYOOOOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOYYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUUUUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU• Clavering Lakes for

hosting our annual fi shing competition and all the anglers who braved the disappointing weather - £1,169.55

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• The Lions and Lionesses of Saffron Walden for selecting St Clare as one of the benefi ciaries of their Michaelmas Fayre (match funded by Santander) - £4,300

• Peter Heap held a charity lunch at Manuden Community Centre supported by Manuden WI, Waitrose, Mike’s of Sawbridgeworth and Cammas Hall Fruit Farm as well as our annual Christmas gift fayre in Theydon Bois - £4,000

• Cousins Kelly and Laura Halsey organised their fi rst quiz night at Ugley village hall to mark what would have been Kelly’s dad Kevin’s 50th birthday - £1,255.50

• Car enthusiasts the Essex Scooby Crew dug deep for their annual Tunnel Run through the streets of London - £1,088

Volunteer to employeeFrom serving in our shops, to supporting our patients, our army of St Clare volunteers bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our organisation. It is also a personally rewarding and enriching experience for those who help us, and for some has even led to employment.

Many of our staff started as volunteers, going on to take up roles across our services, from providing complementary therapy to our Day Therapy patients to working alongside our administration team.

Rebekah Birch started as a helper at our events before joining our fundraising team as an events fundraiser. She initially started volunteering after we cared for her dad, Roland.

“My Dad was fortunate enough to have been cared for by the Hospice during the last nine days of his battle with cancer and I started volunteering at St Clare events as I wanted to give something back for everything they did for us,” she said.

“As a volunteer, the experience that stood out the most for me was the Santa Run in Harlow. I was given the job of working on the registration desk and selling raffl e tickets, which was great for me as I love chatting to people! Now that I work at the Hospice as an events fundraiser, my passion for St Clare is stronger than ever. They have supported me right through, from patient care for my Dad, volunteering and now as a member of the team.”

Lindsey Hildreth began volunteering in our Debden shop after being made redundant and is now the Assistant Manager at our new Loughton store.

“Volunteering in a charity shop was something I’d always wanted to do but never had the time for while I was working full time. I’m not one to sit down all day and I love to be busy, so it was a great way to do something worthwhile.

“Even though I now work for St Clare, I still absolutely love volunteering and would do more if I could. I never really appreciated before how valuable volunteering is – not just for you, but for the charity too. You just never know where it might lead you.”

Joe Jackson started working as a nursing assistant in our Inpatient Unit in September and has been volunteering in our Day Therapy since January 2013. The former precision engineer said: “I’m a real people person and I love the interaction with the patients. There’s no such thing as a typical day here at the Hospice, but I’ve always been able to talk to people and I’ve got a good ear so people tend to share things with me and it’s lovely to get to know people and hear their stories. Everyone here is on their own personal journey and if I can help them along that road in any way, then I will.”

For information about volunteering opportunities with St Clare, call Chris Crump on 01279 773722 or visit www.stclarehospice.org.uk

Record collectionShoppers in Bishop’s Stortford helped contribute to the most successful street collection we have ever held in the town.

A record-breaking £475.77 was collected by our tin shakers at Jackson Square shopping centre as people generously parted with their loose change. Among the 11 street collectors who gave their time to rattle a St Clare tin were Helen and Richard Roscoe, pictured above.

St Clare community fundraiser Sarah Calder said: “Only 30% of our £3.2million annual running costs are covered by NHS funding, so street collections are a vital source of income for our charity, helping us raise the thousands of pounds we need each year to continue providing our expert clinical care and emotional and practical support free of charge to those with a life-limiting illness and their families.

“They are also an important way to raise awareness of our caring work, particularly in East Herts where not many people realise that our services are available to people living in the Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth area, so it was great to be able to speak to people about how their donations are helping to make a difference to the lives of people in their community.”From left to right: Rebekah Birch, Joe Jackson and Lindsey HildrethFrom left to right: Rebekah Birch, Joe Jackson and Lindsey HildrethFrom left to right: Rebekah Birch, Joe Jackson and Lindsey Hildreth

TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUU TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOOOOYOYYYOYOYOYYYOY UUUUUU

• Our Ongar Friends popped the kettle on for a coffee morning - £1,750

• Hospice supporter Jean Tremain and friends organised a summer fete at Wheelers Farm Gardens in North Weald - £1,500

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Winter Walkies set to get tails waggingPerfect pooches Peanut and Daisy will be taking the lead when we hold our popular Winter Walkies here at the Hospice on Sunday, February 22.

The cute canines are the furry faces of this year’s fundraising event after they won our Facebook competition to fi nd a top dog to star on our posters, leafl ets and other promotional material in the run up to our sponsored 5km countryside walk.

From beagles and boxers, to collies and Cocker spaniels, almost 90 handsome hounds and pretty pups entered our online competition, with both Peanut and Daisy winning more than 300 votes each!

They were then invited to the Hospice with their owners Claire Hands and Nicola Parker for a special photo shoot with Pawtrait of Your Pet photographer Vikki Lince.

Our fundraising manager Dominique Brunning said: “We know our supporters are barking mad for their pets, but we were over- whelmed with the response to our Winter Walkies competition. The event is one of the most popular in the Hospice fundraising calendar and we can’t wait to meet all our new four-legged friends on February 22.”

Peanut and Daisy will be setting off at the head of our Winter Walkies pack when the pooch parade leaves the Hospice at 11am. Anyone can join the walk whether you are a pet owner or not.

On the morning there will be doggy-friendly fun and games for all the family, including competitions for dogs and owners as well as a children’s quiz. Free soup and a roll for all walkers will also be available along with other hot refreshments on sale.

Registration for Winter Walkies is £10 for adults, £5 for children or £27.50 for two adults and two children. For more information, call the St Clare fundraising team on 01279 773750, email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk or visit www.stclarehospice.org.uk

Hospice 10k RunIt’s time to lace up your running shoes as we race ahead to the St Clare 10k on Sunday, April 12.

Hundreds of runners are expected to line up for our 21st annual sporting event, once again supported by Harlow Running Club.

Setting off from the Hospice, the 10k route takes in the rural roads around Hastingwood, and is suitable for people of all abilities. There will be medals for everyone who crosses the fi nish line, with trophies presented to those who make it back in the fastest times.

Entry for the St Clare 10k is £12 in advance (£10 for affi liated runners) or £15 on the day. For information, or to register, call the fundraising team on 01279 773750, email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk or visit www.stclarehospice.org.ukPhotos courtesy of Nigel Otter

• The Amici Cantate choir performed alongside children from Thaxted Primary School and the Herts and Essex High School Melodettes during a fundraising concert at Great Sampford Church - £1,048.22

Photo courtesy of Vikki Lince

On the morning there will be doggy-friendly fun and games for all the family, including competitions for dogs and owners as well as

• Hatfi eld Heath Parish Council for awarding a grant towards the costs of our care - £150

• Brian Street and family teed off for their annual golf day in memory of wife Heather - £1,814

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stclarehospice.org.uk10

• To everyone involved in our fi rst Saffron Walden quiz night in the Abbey Barn at St Mark’s College in Audley End, including quizmaster Simon Lloyd, score keeper Shirley Golding and our Clavering Supporters for helping with the food - £820

• Bishop’s Stortford College director of music Andrew Bruce, Harlow Community Choir, Manuden Singers, Stansted U3A Choir and Bishop’s Stortford Gospel Choir raised the roof at our second annual Sing for Your Supper concert at Bishop’s Stortford College - £1,424.33

• Epping Forest councillor Mary Sartin chose St Clare as her nominated chairman’s charity of the year - £1,043

Reindeer RevelryHundreds of little St Clare reindeer were hung on Christmas trees in homes across the Hospice patch as part of a Christmas campaign that has raised £7,000.

Schools and businesses were among those who helped us spread goodwill to our patients and their families by buying our cute Crimbo mascot. They were also on sale at festive fairs and other yuletide events, including Stansted Christmas fair and the Loughton Christmas lights switch-on.

As part of our fundraising initiative, we held our fi rst-ever Reindeer Read at our Bishop’s Stortford bookshop, with children enjoying the seasonal story time led by our shop volunteer Chris Moor, who shared her favourite festive tales.

During the event, there was a chance to meet the St Clare reindeer and for people to buy their own mini reindeer to take home. We were also grateful to Thaxted-based children’s publisher Miles Kelly for kindly donating a bundle of children’s

books to give away, while every child was given a free pair of fl ashing reindeer antlers as an early Christmas present.

Our supporters also helped decorate the Hospice with hundreds of reindeer tags after we invited people to send in their seasons’ greetings, with each personal message handwritten onto a decoration and added to the festive displays in our Inpatient Unit, Day Therapy area, dining room and reception. The decorations were also taken out to our patients by our Community and Hospice at Home teams.

Director of patient care Beth Burton said: “Christmas can be an extremely diffi cult time, especially for families affected by a life-limiting illness and possibly facing their last Christmas together. A simple gesture that shows people are thinking of you makes such a difference, so whether you bought one of our St Clare reindeer or sent in a message for our reindeer decorations – or did both – we would like to say a heartfelt thank you.”

People came together to pause, refl ect and remember their loved ones at 10 Light Up a Life events held over Christmas time.

Two moving services were held here at the Hospice as part of the on-going care we provide to our local community, allowing people to remember the joy those close to our hearts have brought to our lives. With carol singing

and heartfelt readings, both services ended with the lighting of our Christmas tree, which was adorned with lights, each representing the life and memory of someone special.

Other services were held in Loughton, Waltham Abbey, Epping, Buckhurst Hill, Ongar, Harlow, Stansted and Great Dunmow.

A fi nal Light Up a Life service is being held at St Mary’s Church in Saffron Walden on Sunday, February 15 at 6.30pm.

Cracking Christmas CrackersPeople went simply crackers for our limited edition Christmas crackers! One hundred originally went on sale at the beginning of the festive season, but a whopping 700 were eventually sold due to popular demand, helping raise a fantastic £1,400. Each handmade cracker contained one of our new St Clare instant-win scratch cards as well as a hat and a joke. We also made a child-friendly version containing a bag of sweets.

St Clare lottery manager Caron Lakey said: “Sales of our limited edition crackers exceeded all of our expectations. The fi rst 100 sold out almost instantly and our fundraising staff and volunteers were kept busy during the countdown to Christmas making sure we could meet the demand. We were delighted they proved so popular.”

Light up a Life

• Our Stansted Supporters held their ever-popular annual Christmas bridge drive at Great Hallingbury village hall - £500

Weston Homes golf dayWeston Homes has cemented its friendship with the Hospice after raising a staggering £65,000 at its 20th annual golf day.

Teams enjoyed an entertaining day of golf played on one of two award-winning courses at Stoke by Nayland Hotel. They were then treated to an evening of fi ne dining and entertainment, including a prize giving ceremony and auction.

Weston Homes chief executive Bob Weston said: “Both myself and all of Weston Homes are proud to support this fun event for an exceptional cause. The work of St Clare Hospice is immeasurably important.”

Weston Homes has raised in excess of half a million pounds for St Clare over the years – an absolutely phenomenal amount.

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• Fitness instructors Bee Payne and Sam Champion organised a sponsored Zumbathon at Waltham Abbey town hall - £1,834

• Sawbridgeworth Town Council awarded a grant to support our bereavement counselling service supporting those who have suffered the loss of a loved one - £500

• South Loughton Old Walkers put their best foot forward to lead a sponsored walk through Epping Forest - £1,081

stclarehospice.org.uk 11

Loughton Santa Fun RunOn your marks, get set... ho, ho ho!

More than 150 people dressed up as Father Christmas for our second annual Santa Run organised by Hospice supporter and local salon owner Geraldine Wilson.

The streets of Debden and Loughton were overrun with people wearing his famous red suit and snowy white beard for the 5km sponsored festive fun run, which was supported by the Epping branch of Santander.

The event was held in memory of three-long standing community stalwarts, Dave Stannard, former chairman of

the Loughton Broadway Town Centre Partnership, long-serving trader Jayne Matthews, and ex Labour councillor Joan Davis, who all died last year. It is hoped to have raised more than £7,000.

St Clare community fundraiser James Barber said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Geraldine for organising the Santa Run again in aid of the Hospice, to Santander for supporting the event and all the Friends and volunteers for their help in making it such a success. It was a wonderful sight to see all the Santas getting into the Christmas spirit to support St Clare.”

Woodwind of StortfordThe sound of Christmas carols fi lled the Hospice when Woodwind of Stortford performed a festive concert for patients and staff. The musical interlude was organised by St Clare volunteer Goolmohr Cantel, with the musicians performing in the Hospice dining room to an appreciative audience of patients, visitors, staff and volunteers.

• St Clare supporters Marilyn Coleclough, Marion and Martin Oliver and the Debden branch of Santander held a quiz night at Theydon Bois village hall - £2,572

A special delivery arrived at the Hospice a few days before Christmas after we were chosen as one of eight Essex charities to benefi t from a festive appeal on Heart FM.

Heart FM’s Angels popped in to present a bundle of gifts for our patients and their families as part of the radio station’s Giving Tree appeal run in conjunction with Braintree’s Freeport Shopping Village.

We would also like to say a festive thank you to staff at recruitment agency Tay Associates for hand-making all the Christmas stockings for those who spent Christmas day at the Hospice as well as St Clare supporter Sarah Harman and her son James for donating gifts and other festive treats, pupils from Harlow’s Steward’s School for performing a carol concert for our Day Therapy patients, singers Aby and Miriam Griffi ths, accompanied by Ian Tobin, for singing at our Day Therapy festive lunch, and staff at Enfi eld-based DHL for organising a surprise selection box appeal for us.

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Bishop’s Stortford 10 Devoils Lane CM23 3XHTel: 01279 755990Open: 9am to 5pm Mon to Sat, 10am to 4pm Sun

Buckhurst Hill Scarlet, 46 Queens Road IG9 5BY Tel: 020 85055110Open: 9.15am to 5.15pm Mon to Sat

Debden 72 The Broadway, Debden IG10 3SY Tel: 020 85022361Open: 9am to 5pm Mon to Sat

Epping 182 High Street CM16 4AQTel: 01992 575092Open: 9am to 5pm Mon to Sat

Gt Dunmow 41 High Street CM6 1AETel: 01371 875756Open: 9am to 5pm Mon to Fri, 9am to 4.30pm Sat

Harlow Unit 2A, St James Centre, East Road CM20 2BJ Tel: 01279 639760Open: 9.00am to 4.30pm Mon to Sat, 10.30am to 4pm Sun

Loughton 271 High Road IG10 1AHTel: 020 8508 0766Open: 9.15am to 5.15pm Mon to Sat & fi rst Sunday of every month

Saffron Walden 1 Mercers Row CB10 1HDTel: 01799 523573Open: 9am to 5pm Mon to Sat

Collections Tel: 01279 639760

Bereavement Support 01279 773767

Fundraising Telephone: 01279 773750 Email: fund@stclarehospice.org.uk Fax: 01279 773701

@hospicestclare

A host of special events are being planned to celebrate our Silver Anniversary – and we are inviting you to join the celebrations! We are currently planning a range of spectacular events to be held over the coming months as we mark 25 years of incredible care and would love for you to be there, so here are just a few dates for your diary...

Details on all these St Clare events and more will be available in the special commemorative edition of our Hospice Newsletter out in May, watch this space!

Quiz Night, Theydon Bois Saturday 7th March 2015 Test your brainpower at a fundraising quiz night at Theydon Bois village hall for an 8pm start. Tickets are £7 (bring your own food and drinks). Call 01992 812042 for more details.

Fishing Competition, Waltham AbbeySaturday 18th April 2015 Anglers will be casting off at our second annual fishing competition at Southend Farm Fishing Lakes in Waltham Abbey from 10am to 4pm. Entry is £20 per peg and can be booked by calling James on 01279 773751 for a registration form.

Herts and Soul Choral Concert Saturday 15th February 2015The Bishop’s Stortford-based 160-voice Herts and Soul choir will be staging a Valentine’s Day concert of love songs and dedications at Harlow Playhouse at 7.30pm. Tickets are £14 from www.playhouseharlow.com

St Clare Stars Showcase, Saffron WaldenSaturday 21st February 2015 Talented youngsters from dance schools across the St Clare patch will be performing at Saffron Walden Town Hall. Tickets are £8 from Sarah on 07528 520016.

Quiz Night, Saffron WaldenFriday 6th March 2015 Test your general knowledge at a fun quiz night at St Mark’s College in Audley End at 7pm. Tickets are £10 (includes a ploughman’s platter). Bring your own drinks, glasses and nibbles. Tickets available from the St Clare shop in Mercer’s Row, Saffron Walden, or call Sarah on 07528 520016.

Quiz Night, Great DunmowFriday 13th March 2015 Pit your wits at a quiz night organised by our Dunmow supporters’ group at Foakes Hall in Dunmow at 7pm. Tickets are £6 (includes a ploughman’s platter). Bring your own drinks, glasses and nibbles. Tickets available from the St Clare shop in High Street, Dunmow, or call Christine Wood on 01371 872860, Ann Smith on 07546 267015 or Christine Rolph on 01371 874479.

Quiz night, StanstedSaturday 14th March 2015 Boost those brain cells at our annual quiz night organised by our Stansted supporters’ group at Forest Hall School, Stansted, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 (includes a ploughman’s platter). Bring your own drinks, glasses and nibbles. Tickets are available from Caroline Bore on 01279 813938 or carolineebore@gmail.com

Spring Fayre, ClaveringSaturday 18th April 2015 Bag a bric-a-brac bargain, browse our book stall or sit down for a cuppa and slice of homemade cake at this lovely fayre organised by our Clavering supporters’ group at Clavering village hall from 11am to 4pm. For more details, contact Jean on 01799 550758 or Jill on 01799 550398.

Epping Rotary Golf Day, Saffron WaldenThursday 21st May 2015 This annual golf day at Saffron Walden Golf Club continues to go from strength to strength. To join us on the green, call Sarah on 07528 520016 for more information about how to enter a team.

For more information on these, please contact the Fundraising team on 01279 773750 or email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk

What’s on near you?UTTLESFORD

EPPING FOREST

HARLOW

Challenges round up...Run, cycle, leap... there are plenty of ways you can support St Clare, if you are up for the challenge!

During 2015, we have a host of thrilling events, from overseas treks to bungee jumps, for adrenalin junkies looking for an adventure. The sky is your limit!

Alex Sweeting, from Loughton, whose dad and grandfather were both cared for by St Clare, was one of three cyclists who took part in last summer’s Ride 100 for the Hospice, raising £880.

“I took up road cycling three years ago after breaking my back mountain biking and Ride 100 was the perfect arena to pit myself against others on a big stage. It was like nothing else I have ever done. Being able to ride on London’s roads, traffi c free and in front of spectators, is magical and a must for any keen cyclist.”

Martina Ryan, from Kent, was among the eight runners who completed the 26 gruelling miles of the Brighton Marathon in April last year. She raised £7,292.35 in memory of colleague Roland Birch, who passed away at the Hospice in June 2013.

“The Hospice took great care of Roland during his last few days and I felt inspired to try to give something back,” she said. “To be honest, I think I got more out of it. There was an amazing party atmosphere, the crowds were electric and it was a thoroughly fantastic day.

“I loved it so much that I’m going back this year to do the 10k and to support all those runners pounding the pavement for St Clare.”

Sheila Hale, from Bishop’s Stortford, took the plunge from 13,000ft when she did a sponsored skydive in memory of her ‘nan’ Violet Eldred in March last year. She raised £1,475.

“It was a bit scary at times, especially when our little plane hit turbulence on our 15 minute fl ight up, although I was probably most terrifi ed while still on the ground,” she said. “Once I was up there though it was truly amazing – there was such an amazing sense of peace and it was so very beautiful.

“Nan would not have wanted us to sit back and do nothing. Life throws a lot at us, but one of the most diffi cult to cope with is a terminal illness and loss of a loved one. Without the proper support after such a loss we can easily lose our way. I’m sure she would say I was soft doing the jump in her memory, but she would, I think, be secretly quite chuffed. Born today, I reckon she would give it a go herself as she loved to fl y.”

If you would like to take on a challenge for St Clare, call our events fundraiser Rebekah Birch on 01279 773750 or email rebekah.birch@stclarehospice.org.uk

“The Hospice took great care of Roland during his last few days and I felt inspired to try to give something back,” she said. “To be honest, I think I got more out of it. There was an amazing party atmosphere, the crowds were electric and it was a thoroughly fantastic day.

back this year to do the 10k and to support all those runners

“Nan would not have wanted us to sit back and do nothing.

Where’s my local shop?Save the date...

March 14: St Clare skydive at Sibson Airfi eldApril 12: 21st annual St Clare Hospice 10k RunApril 16: Unveiling of ‘Space to Breathe’ family gardenMay 2 & 3: Church Langley water tower abseilJune 21: St Clare ‘Essex Country Bike Ride’July 18: Rotary Celebration WalkSeptember 22: Grand Canyon overseas trekNovember 21: Silver Ball at Parklands, QuendonDecember 13: St Clare festive fun run

Details on all these St Clare events and more will be available in the special

Unveiling of ‘Space to Breathe’ family garden